Daybreak: The Interim
by IronDBZ
Summary: One of Konoha's greatest enemies is long dead, but Akatsuki lives on, and a new threat to peace is rising in the shinobi nations. The question is... who are the heroes, and who are the villains? Continuation of long-dead fic, Daybreak: Part 1, by DigitalTart. AU.
1. Sasori

**Author's Note:** This is a continuation of the long dead (may it rest in peace) Daybreak: Part I, by DigitalTart.

You can probably find the story on the site if you're reading this and I would hope you would read it before reading this. I am piggybacking off a story another author has written so you can you expect that you'll need to have read at least some of the 32 Chapter-long original.

I'm not writing a full-on Part II. The original was an honest-to-god novel and I don't think I have the stamina to tackle something that big. But what I can do, is continue the story through little vignettes, the first one doesn't even touch 2K words, so it should be pretty digestible. Expect installments around this size or slightly larger. I don't intend to half-ass the story, but I have limits. (So no doorstoppers)

The story picks up right around where Daybreak: Part 1 left off. Hope you enjoy.

 **Continuity Disclaimer:** The Original Daybreak was written with canon pre-chapter 599 in mind. With that in mind, a number of plot decisions taking place in the previous installments of Daybreak (Written by DigitalTart) were made without that latter part of the manga so any contradictions to established canon are likely due to preexisting plot holes that I'm attempting to write around. This isn't going to be a large problem, but you've been warned. This fic is canon-compliant as I can possibly make it while staying in line with the original Daybreak.

* * *

 **.oO Sasori Oo.**

* * *

Amegakure hadn't been much of a home for the man in his time in Akatsuki, until recently he hadn't needed for much in the way of pleasantries and even if he had most of his time was spent abroad on assignments anyway. Shinobi don't need for much, especially when outside the village for so long, but there was a certain level of comfort even they had to hold to, if not for their enjoyment then at least for their health.

For Sasori, the need for such luxuries had long past, but after recent events a number of deficiencies in the suna-nin's abode had been called into question.

Namely, could he even **live** in it.

The consequences of Chiyo's kinjutsu manifested themselves in almost all aspects of his life, breathing was a chore, the oiliness of his skin was a constant nuisance, combined with all the rest of his newfound physiological needs of sleeping and eating, the man very quickly regretted his second chance at mortality.

Were it not for all the other sensations of life, he'd probably go back to being a puppet in a heartbeat, no matter the pain of the process. Granny's sacrifice be damned, being human was uncomfortable and he was sure to make a point of remembering that fact.

Getting "home" only further proved that point.

Sasori's workshop was a cluttered mess of masterpieces, sketches, tools (most bent, charred or dripping with dark liquids), half-formed puppets and all of two books on what could only be the master puppeteer's workdesk. One copy of his own notes on the craft of puppet making on one side and those of Monzaemon Chikamatsu, the creator of the puppet technique on the other. However glorious it may have been to the initiated, was nothing short of a death trap.

The suite exuded a potent aura of death. From the reinforced windows, to the corroded "bathroom" to the scraps of sharp metal and decaying plant materials that littered the tile floor, the menagerie of puppets, cloths, foreign woods and chemical treatments that were spread haphazardly throughout the room to the various oils and polish removers, the entire place was soaked in an odeur de poisonne.

Every toxin in his arsenal came to blows with his eyes and nose and lips the instant he opened the door. For the first time in ages the poison master had tasted the fruits of his labor and it was far too much for him to handle. He took a short look at what had up till then been his place of work from the door before hastily slamming the door closed. Were it not for his own tolerance to the poisons of his art, he'd probably have been on the ground already.

It took him some time to catch his breath after stepping away from his hotel room

Ever since his body reverted back to flesh and bone it had been one inconvenience after the other, hours of his time gone, wasted on bathing and eating and sleeping. And now, he couldn't even get back to his work. In fact he wasn't sure if it was even possible for him to navigate through _all_ of the assorted toxins that hung on the air of that unventilated room.

Skilled though he may be, he wasn't immune to everything in his arsenal. Most of his poisons were naturally occurring substances, yes, but enough was mineral-based, insidious cocktails that no amount of exposure could prepare you for. Until he could get access to one of those breathers the Ame-nin seemed to keep on hand, his room was off-limits.

He silently cursed at himself while looking over the ledge to the rain-soaked city, he'd always been careful to keep notes on his work; documenting which puppets held which poisons, what weapons did what, all the monotony that came along with the craft, but as evidenced by the hotel room full of miasma behind him, Sasori eventually stopped caring to thoroughly clean his workspace. In fact a lot of habits most poison masters accrue seemed to have died with Sasori's humanity.

There was no need to wash his hands unless he was dealing with an acid. Poison-soaked weapons, even if unused, only increased their battle potential if they could never backfire on him. As he saw it, surrounding himself in as much poison as possible could only help him, thus he soon quit disposing of all his toxins once he had no reason to. He still kept the antidotes around, but not much else. Poison was usually a double-edged sword if you nicked a finger or breathed in a little too deeply, but when one's body isn't even made of flesh anymore you soon forget these little lessons.

Of course, every bit of his neglect had now come to bite him in the ass.

Now, he was effectively homeless because he grew bored with the fundamentals.

That Granny had to find some charity in her twilight years was nothing short of a curse in disguise if his new lease on life was going to be so damned tiresome.

The rain was even thicker than usual that night and wind was blowing sideways in the way it always did in Amegakure, but for the first time since he arrived in the city over a decade ago, Sasori cared to notice. The sky-borne pellets were being slung from on high across the guard rail right into the sand-nin's face.

And he just stood there. In the rain, and for far longer than he should have. Maybe to savor the feeling, maybe out of defiance to his newfound frailty, but whatever the case he found himself more alone than he'd been in a long time. It was cold and without his work to keep his mind off the discomfort of the world, he felt it, right to the bone.

It'd have been violating if it wasn't so novel.

On the flight back from Wind Country he hadn't taken much time to take in the new sensations. Between cataloging what was left of his puppet army, helping himself to the scroll containing Chikamatsu's personal collection of puppets and getting the proper rhythm for breathing, Sasori hadn't really stopped to gather himself.

The first night with his body was confusing with all the compulsions he had once did away with all coming back to him. He'd vomited up more than he'd care to dwell on, becoming sky-sick as soon as his nerves settled down, from the battle and what he thought would be his last moments.

The intermittent bouts of sickness would have been funny to all those around him if not for his death glares between retching his guts out reminding them of how he got his nickname. Even if he wasn't even in shape enough to stand straight he'd never let them know he was vulnerable, for all the good it did him.

Suna would always be frigid at night, but it was always a dry cold, not humid like it was here in the Storm Country. Here the rains never stopped, the mist never parted and the chill couldn't be fought back with just wearing enough layers. He was drenched that first night Konan brought him to the city, just like he was now. Only then he wasn't so green as to be surprised by it, surprised by the atmosphere of isolation.

Sasori wasn't quite an old man, but he was set in his ways like most shinobi his age. Their lives were ones of habit, mechanical actions taken again and again. After a while most settle into their own routines and almost nothing can shake them out of it. But if anything could unsettle the red-haired man, it would be this newfound weakness, these strange connections budding around him and the lurking feeling that he was never going to get back to that place of contentment he had when he was a bundle of flesh stuffed in the chest of his masterpiece.

The sentimentality of the leaf-nin still grated on his ears, it was incessant how much they went on about comradery and friendship, but with the triumph at the fortress looming over him, the looks of absolute joy that the children had when they got to see their parents after the battle searn into his memory, it didn't seem all that bad given the alternative. He couldn't go back to the way things were for so long, physically he couldn't even make his way into his room without falling over and he doubted his mind could handle a reversal at this point.

What had his way of things gotten him?

Certainly not any happiness, satisfaction maybe, but not joy.

Maybe he _could_ do with some compromise, do things a bit differently, now that he can longer walk path he worked for so long to build.

True art is permanent yes, but maybe that was left to the creations, the art itself and not the artist.

Maybe some change for himself wouldn't hurt so much.

It won't bite anymore than the rain does.

* * *

So there you go, first chapter in a series of undetermined length. I'm going to try and be at least semi-regular with the story but no promises. Not every chapter is going to be in the same vein as this opening chapter, but I thought this would be a nice way to re-introduce people to the series; it shows some of the consequences of one of the original's plot points and takes off from there.

Next chapter is up.


	2. Nagato: The Idea

**Continuity Disclaimer:** The Original Daybreak was written with canon pre-chapter 599 in mind. With that in mind, a number of plot decisions taking place in the previous installments of Daybreak (Written by DigitalTart) were made without that latter part of the manga so any contradictions to established canon are likely due to preexisting plot holes that I'm attempting to write around. This isn't going to be a large problem, but you've been warned. This fic is canon-compliant as I can possibly make it while staying in line with the original Daybreak.

* * *

 **.oO Nagato Oo.**

* * *

It felt like they had been there in that room for an eternity. Ever since the coup in Konoha the attacks on the border had been building but after the foray into the Wind Country, after a 2000-strong army of Konoha-nin were defeated by the Akatsuki and what was left of the Suna rebels, the lands of Fire and Storm may as well had been at war.

Missions taking place in or against other villages or countries are, if not outright accepted practice, at least expected. And generally, in the interests of peace they are ignored as often as they fail. If enemy ninja wanted to kill themselves going on A and S-Rank missions and getting nothing for it that was their business. But when armies come into play and even worse still, those armies are defeated in the field by foreign actors (The Akatsuki) then no amount of diplomacy was going to keep a lid on the situation.

And given the incursions by the Wind Country into the Earth Country border, seizing mines and whatnot, the shinobi world was entering a time of troubles the likes of which it had seen all too often. That Amegakure and the surrounding countryside, with its assorted small towns, petty villages and road-side inns were going to be caught in the middle of it was nothing less than sobering for Kami-sama, his Angel and the Toad Sage that taught them both. It seemed like every time the nations of the world had something to settle they were more than happy to settle it anywhere that wasn't theirs. In the Second _Ninkai Taisen_ Amegakure was caught in the middle of it all, the same went for the Third and the way things were looking the Fourth wasn't going to be much different. The regular folk weren't going to be able to protect themselves and the ninja of Amegakure weren't going to be able to save them all, that much they were sure. Storm country wasn't going to come out of this without taking a few on the chin, certainly not in this reality.

Nagato and Konan had been pouring over the paperwork for hours by the time the confirmation letters had gotten back affirming the new Shinobi Coalition of Iwa, Kusa, Taki, and Amegakure.

Shinobi are very patient by trade but even still the two of them were starting to get anxious over the wait times for communications between the villages. Too much was going on everywhere across the different Shinobi Nations. Iwa and Kusa were taking joint missions protecting the newly rebuilt and fortified Kannabi Bridge. Taki has had numerous spies caught attempting to infiltrate the village, for what Nagato could only speculate. And Ame, as well as it could while still taking mission contracts, had been defending against raids and attacks across the border for the latter half of the year.

To remain solvent, the village was going to need its shinobi to be available to take missions but if the situation continued to go on with Konoha attempting on an almost constant basis to gain a foothold in Storm Country, the entirety of Ame's strength was going to have to be mobilized. This was what Konan and Nagato dreaded the most.

Worse still, the channels of communication between villages weren't as open as they should have been or needed to be. Were it not for Ame's intelligence networks and the offhand reference here in there in the correspondence between the allied nations, they wouldn't have had the slightest idea any of this was going on.

It was almost like every village was just expected to do their own thing and hope their side came out victorious. The extent of the alliance only seemed to be an assurance that if they saw each other in the field that they wouldn't open fire on each other and even so that understanding only stood for the time being. Who knew what would happen once the tide had turned in their side's favor.

Kusa and Taki could be trusted if only because they lacked the strength to go it alone, but the Tsuchikage was a liability so long as this arrangement remained as informal as it was.

Onoki wasn't just going to share the table with the minor village heads once time came to negotiate the peace. He was going to want the bulk of the reparations even when the war wasn't going to be fought in his backyard. Should the war drag on long enough, he would be looking for ways out in any place he could and when that time came he was going to be damn sure to get as much as he could and leave the rest of the shinobi nations to get whatever they could get **without** him, that being almost nothing.

He was a pragmatist and once it seemed like Konoha was no longer a threat and he thought he could get away with it, he'd pull his strength in an instant. If this shinobi alliance was going to be successful and this war was going to be short they'd best get everything in writing and even then it wasn't a sure bet.

"What to do think Jiraiya-Sensei?" Nagato had laid out the idea of a summit for all the nations involved. It was rough and he had yet to even think of a place to hold it.

"It's been done before and it's a shot in the dark if there ever was one. These kinds of things usually don't work out the way they're supposed to," he responded in that contemplative tone he always did when he was serious.

"But, it could work if you do it right. Yesterday's failures can't be allowed to dictate the future, I say go ahead with it if you think it'll work out the way you want it to." And getting the last word in as they sat on his words, " But, and it's a big one, I think you should invite the Raikage, as well as any of the other smaller villages that'll take the offer. This is a shinobi world war, you may as well include everyone else. Not just the two Kages and two villages that are already on board. Taki and Kusa will take your lead no matter what you do, they're not in any position to go their own way without our help, but if it's just the three of you at the table with Onoki and A you'll get nowhere. You need more pieces involved."

Konan nodded along, following Jiraiya's logic, but Nagato interjected, "Sensei, A's already made it clear he's neutral and if he doesn't show up we lose face before the negotiations even start." It was a fair point, Jiraiya said as much, but Konan still thought it was a good idea.

"To be fair, he hasn't declared it openly. Still, it's good enough that he hasn't moved an inch since the war started. Sensei, why do you think he'll budge if we invite him to a summit, why would he come at all?"

"Cause he needs an excuse to"

"...Please elaborate. We can't go in believing that the Raikage secretly wants to do what we want. It's not realistic."

"Do you really think Danzo's just going to let bygones be bygones with Kumo after what they pulled with the Hyuga? No sir, not on your life. He'll pull out if he wants to, but it's **his** ass."

"I don't see how one kidnapping is grounds for a war, especially one that failed so publically. The girl the Sandaime Raikage tried to steal is living at Hotel Yasuragi right as we speak."

"That would be the case with most shinobi. We're all used to be a bit of mischief here and there, yes, but Shimura Danzo isn't looking out to keep the peace. Guarding a kekkei genkai is going to be a very good excuse when the time comes. Danzo won't just forgive Kumo, too much bad blood and too many scores to settle.

My young pupils Kumo is as much a threat to Konoha as they've always been, but the way I see it even if Danzo doesn't attack them now, he will later. A neutral power on the sidelines is just as dangerous as a participant. It's obvious Danzo doesn't care about peace for its own sake. That he'd lengthen the war by a year or two just to settle a few more scores isn't that far out of the question.

The only thing we have to bet on is if the Raikage is smart enough to know that."

"Alright, let's say I invite the Raikage and he shows up ready to negotiate terms. What then? Now there's **two** Kage at the Summit and no amount of small countries are going to be able to pressure the two of them if they come to an agreement among themselves."

"If you think that's an even remote possibility of then you don't know those two as well as you think. I've been to Iwa, I've been to Kumo, those two won't get along, I can promise you that. Your job is probably going to be keeping them in the same room long enough to get this alliance idea of yours off the ground.

What you're trying to do is a tall order Nagato, honestly I don't know if it's going to work. But if it is going to work you're gonna have to go big or go home with your hands empty. Just a few more villages won't cut it, you're going to need as many as will come. Shimo, Ishi, even Hoshi. They all have to show up just to have the negotiating power to get this set up. But once they do show up, and no doubt most of them will, you're the obvious representative for the smaller villages, so don't sweat the details too much."

"Sensei," Nagato began, skeptical, "those 'details' are important. What are we supposed to do when some feud breaks out and we don't even know why?"

"Stay out of it if you can, unless someone threatens to leave, it's not your problem."

"It's supposed to be an alliance." Konan said, taking the words out of Nagato's mouth.

"Every group has people that hate each other in it. Akatsuki's the same way, you know this."

"It's a matter of scale. These are nations. They can't be arguing like spoiled children while they're fighting a war together."

"You can't forget that this won't be anyone's first go at the game. Each and every delegation is going to have someone who's seen at least one war. They understand the gravity of the situation as well as we do, at least I hope so.

They're not going to screw things up over some petty grudge, at least not not right just now."

Jiraiya tried to sound reassuring, but no one was having it, not even himself. The truth of it was that if the wrong words were said at that table a fight could probably break out and if someone ended up dead you could kiss any chance of a genuine peace goodbye. Before he started in again explaining himself, Nagato cut him, presumably having made up his mind on what to do already.

"We're going to need your knowledge of the players, Sensei. We spent most of the last war in Ame fighting Hanzo. We're not diplomats and it's obvious you're at least familiar with most of the villages involved."

Piggybacking off of Nagato, Konan asked the question that was on both their minds, "Jiraiya sensei, will you come with us?"

Making sure not give the impression that he was joking, it wasn't hard given the situation.

"I'm going to have to decline. I won't give you my usual spiel about how it's not my thing, I know you need me for this and under almost any other circumstance I'd come in a heartbeat, but we're undermanned as it is and you're going to need a lot more than me if you're going to make a good impression. Plus the barriers and seals on the city are mostly mine and yours, Sasori's not going to be able to fix them if something happens. It's too dangerous for me to come with the rest of your guests; I'm going to have to hang back, watch the walls."

"What guests?" Nagato replied, only confused as to who **all** he was referring to, "Aside from Itachi, of course."

"Terumī Mei and her entourage, maybe Yagura. Definitely Kakashi and Tsunade. Whether or not you want to bring Rasa's kid along is up to you."

"You can't be serious. That's almost half of our best shinobi shipped off somewhere arguing like politicians. " Konan said, almost sounding like she used to in the old days.

Continuing off of Konan, Nagato added, "And I can't just walk into the meeting with a bunch of Missing-nin. If you haven't forgotten, just because you're all under my protection doesn't mean you're not all S-Rank criminals, deserters, traitors. Itachi and Kakashi are in every villages Bingo Book and Mei isn't far behind."

"Neither the Tsuchikage or the Raikage care about that, not enough to actually do anything about it but they'll be damned sure to use it against you. Still, they should come, and Yagura also."

Working past his obvious issues with using that many shinobi for what amounted to run of the mill politicking, Nagato replied sarcastically, " And what is the Mizukage of the Bloody Mist going to bring to the table?"

"The **Ichibi** for one. As well as living proof that we're not bluffing when we say we have six tailed beasts under our control. It's a slimy way to negotiate, holding that over everybody's heads but you do what you have to." Jiraiya finished with a mild scowl, probably out of displeasure with how good he actually was at this.

He continued, "Likewise, if you show up with Copy Ninja Kakashi and Hokage Itachi Uchiha you're liable to scare a few people into thinking we can win the war singlehandedly."

"And what of Tsunade, what's her role in this?" Konan inquired as Nagato was taking it all in.

"Tsunade knows almost as much as I do about the big guys. She's fought everyone I have and she probably paid more attention when she did. And anything that she doesn't know I can tell you when you leave out.

Konan had pulled a piece of paper from her sleeve to take a few notes and Nagato had a look on his face like he was concentrating on every word. "Yikes, you two are so serious all the time!" Jiraiya belted, just to break their concentration.

They jolted up, startled a bit. It was eery how much it was like when they were kids.

"It's not as complicated as you make it out to be, just be transparent and play your cards. Know who your friends are, who's not worth your time and who you need to impress. It's very simple. And so long as you bring Itachi, Tsunade and the rest they can pick up the slack where you can't. A Sannin and a former Kage will go a long way toward making your case, along with those eyes of yours you'll be plenty impressive"

"Sensei, if you think it's necessary to bring so many I'll defer to your judgement, but I'm **not** taking any more, but if it is as you said then this is more than enough. I'll notify them in the morning." He finished with an air of finality.

"If your mind is set, then. I'll send out the invitations." Konan said

Nagato thanked her as she got up to leave the room, but he stopped her on the way out to make a request outside of Jiraiya's earshot.

"Could you store the Paths for the trip, I'm going in person but I may need them once we get there."

The look on her face was one of barely perceptible surprise. She hadn't seen him out in public in years, but a faint smile crept across her face at the idea of seeing him in the flesh at the summit instead of attending to Yahiko's corpse.

"Are you sure, Nagato-san?"

"I've gotten my legs back, may as well get them back in shape. Besides, this way is easier on my back and I can finally get some fresh air.

Pain is the leader of the Akatsuki, but this is a village matter and I should get used to showing my face now that the veils being lifted on the village. I am the face of Amegakure. Don't worry too much, I'll be fine, trust me."

With that last spoken they all set out to their duties, the next few days were going to be hectic setting up for the absence of so many of their strongest shinobi. The village was going to be feeling the effects as soon as they departed to wherever the other villages chose as neutral ground. The summit had better not take long or things could get worse a lot quicker.

* * *

 **Glossary**

 _Ninkai Taisen_ \- Shinobi World War. I'll be using the Japanese for any references to a specific world warin this series as it's far easier to say/write quickly.


	3. Nagato: Meetings

**Continuity Disclaimer:** The Original Daybreak was written with canon pre-chapter 599 in mind. With that in mind, a number of plot decisions taking place in the previous installments of Daybreak (Written by DigitalTart) were made without that latter part of the manga so any contradictions to established canon are likely due to preexisting plot holes that I'm attempting to write around. This isn't going to be a large problem, but you've been warned.

You know what happens after 599.

This fic is as canon-compliant as I can possibly make it while staying in line with the original Daybreak.

* * *

 **.oO Nagato Oo.**

* * *

In the run up to the summit Nagato had taken it upon himself to personally make the arrangements for his absence. It wasn't the sort of deskwork he was used to given the state he'd been in for so long but now that his excuses were gone he felt it was his responsbility to oversee the summit prep, at least Ame's part in it.

The view from the top of the tower was a dour sight Nagato was all too used to, the rain pounding on the steel and concrete had a familiar pang and absence of rhythm that served well as background noise and in the midst of it he had been able to get a large part of what he needed done finished.

Though the particulars of the barriers and seals on the village had mostly been left to Jiraiya and the medical provisions to Tsunade, everything else fell on him and Konan to parse out. It was their village, after all.

Once he had burned through all the various correspondence from the attending nations, Nagato turned his attention toward the more domestic part of the preparations. Over the coming days a gradual lessening of missions by Ame-nin into foreign territories was to go into effect. Less shinobi on mission meant more manpower for operations on the border and finally a chance for steady turnover on the front for the more battle-weary soldiers.

The second order of business was a program for buy-out and relocation.

Ame, unless things went south, was never going to have a problem feeding or housing its people in the village proper. Sure, trade was going to suffer but there was enough production within the village to offset most of the losses from the war. The problem of food and housing arose once the peoples of the countryside came into play.

The steady escalation between the Storm and Fire Countries that had begun a few months since the intervention into the land of Wind had now blossomed into something all too familiar to the people of the Storm Country. The border tensions had turned to raids and raids turned into active combat. The situation now was such that most of the border towns, the inns and so on had been either burned, seized or abandoned by the growing conflict.

Many of the farmers in the countryside, if they hadn't already seen where the wind was blowing, were now picking up and moving into the city and harvesting what they still could before the war really amped up, before an army marched through their hamlets and farms. Before their children were orphans, beggars or both. It was a familiar song and dance for everyone involved and Nagato was particularly of no exception.

Any farms that had yet to be abandoned were to be loaned to the village for the duration of the war in return for compensation, housing and a guarantee to return the land once there was peace. The land would produce for the war effort and any surplus could be rationed away or sold to the populace. It was simple enough and for the time being, completely voluntary.

Anything to lessen the number of homeless, widows and orphans.

And for those already in those categories soup kitchens, pensions and well-funded orphanages were available.

Ame was by far the most industrialized village in the region and they made sure to take advantage of it for all it was worth.

That was how his eyes saw things at least.

After that it was just to set up more joint missions with the rest of the alliance and plan for the defense of the village itself in case of a larger offensive.

All of this was to keep the village on war footing while the summit was taking place, now all that was left was for the other villages to prepare in what ways they could and finally lock down a date to begin negotiation. That it was taking so long already didn't bode well and Nagato was growing more anxious by the day.

He wasn't about to second guess himself, but each passing day was one where something could've gotten done or an attack could be planned. The war was going to be all or nothing and if everyone was going to be too scared to leave their respective nations now, God only knew what it was going to be like once things really heated up.

Sadly, that wasn't Nagato.

If anything was going to happen it would have to soon or else it will end up being wasted effort, gone up in smoke like his hopes for keeping the peace.

Aside from the mountains of paperwork concerning all the minutiae of the war effort there were still loose ends to manage. The delegation Nagato had chosen to take along with him was at first glance a uniquely formidable face for Amegakure before the rest of the Allied Shinobi Nations.

Apart from his Rinnegan, there wasn't much to mark him as someone to be taken seriously and given just how unheard of these eyes of his, Nagato doubted he'd be getting much respect at the summit, by himself at least. With him he'd be taking the rightful Hokage, a Sannin (Though a reputably drunk one), a Jinchuuriki, along with some of the most feared and respected shinobi to ever grace the Bingo Books.

By themselves they were all invaluable assets to whoever they sided with and **all** of them were going to be in the same room.

Hopefully they'd all be arguing for the same things once the time came. Presenting a united front was going to be vital, but given the internal dynamics of this motley crew, that was going to be a labour in of itself and it was best if they all met with him to share their concerns or questions, just so they'd be on the same page once the factions started shaping up among the other villages at the summit.

-ooo-

Mei had come in earlier that day, before their scheduled meeting. She had come in an hour before Yagura was supposed to show up, the three of them were to have the meeting together regarding the plan for Kiri after the war. Instead she came with Ao in tow, with an envelope in her hands.

"You're not due till another fifty minutes Mei-chan," he had begun as she and her subordinate made their way into his office, Ao kept his hands to his sides while Mei slid into her chair, legs uncrossed. "If you're looking to reschedule Konan will take care of it, I've still got letters to write. Yagura-san won't be here for a while."

They had closed the door behind them, but took great care not to appear too affected.

Mei always took care with her appearance, the way she framed her face, styled her hair. She always made a point of maintaining that flirty smile of hers so long as she was in the company of younger men. She made no such pretense today.

And that was more than a bit strange.

By then Nagato had taken great pains to reintroduce himself to members of the core group of Akatsuki, it only made sense to as he'd already met with Naruto and his cousin was nothing if not a loudmouth. The boy had sense when he needed it, but not when it came to secrets, if no one but himself and Konan knew of his identity before Uzumaki Naruto came to the city then it'd be an open secret by the time of the summit. And Mei, after having met him face to face made sure to make herself more familiar. In hindsight, no doubt because of how young he looked.

Over the past few weeks they had spoken often, much more than he expected to. Besides Konan and Sensēi, no one really stopped by regularly and if they did it was usually strictly in a professional capacity and given how much he generally had on his plate it didn't bother him much. Terumī Mei had been apart of the new Akatsuki for all of three years and not once had they spoken of anything but her assignments. The thought of a friendly conversation never crossed his mind.

The first time they spoke she had suggestions regarding the water supply for the village. Apparently during the war in Kiri, much of their water was poisoned toward the end of the conflict as her side was pushed further back. It was the last straw in a string of blunders that led to her crossing out her _hitai-ate_ and going into exile. Nagato made sure to put her suggestions into action.

It was strange hearing a war story with such a chipper attitude, he almost took it for apathy after that first time. So much death and suffering and she didn't seem willing to give it any sort of weight in how she talked about it. The woman's energy had a very dangerous tint to it, the kind that he was all too accustomed to seeing in the shinobi he and Konan dealt with.

It was sad, but expected.

Their talks tended to go in much the same way, a bit of advice here, a question there, a story to tell with a pretty smile to go with it. Ao was always close by, in the hallway standing guard his eye roaming the different parts of the room while the other focused on the building. It was a familiar set up where she came in, unprompted usually, but always with something worth speaking about.

And after talking with her more over the weeks it was a relief to find out how much of that smile of hers was a lie. Once they started building something of a rapport and Nagato started putting more weight into her words those quick, in-and-out, meetings soon carried on for hours.

Whatever they had thought of each other seemed to have changed as he participated in more of their conversations.

Nagato hadn't much practice in talking to other people in a long time, it was hard to remember meeting someone new that he had more to speak about than his work. Even Konan and he didn't have much else to speak of with each other. She knew him like the back of her hand and the same went for him.

Too much shared history, too much common knowledge. Just talking to talk had long since become an unfamiliar concept, but he quickly caught up to speed.

They came from similar places. She had witnessed things that made even his blood boil, and likewise for her. He soon found himself telling her things that heretofore he had only spoken about with Konan, with his Sensēi. The both of them came, over their talks of strategy and tactics, their lives and troubles, to a more amicable arrangement where he no longer cared much when she walked into his office. She was something of a friend and there was always time in his office for those.

-ooo-

Whatever was going on must have struck Mei as particularly urgent, seeing as she had taken no time in greeting him and noticing this Nagato turned his total attention to Terumī Mei after sparing Ao a short glance as he took up his spot next to the door. He looked only slightly more agitated than usual, but Nagato didn't take the time to read him any further as Mei began.

"I've been keeping contact with Kiri for some time now, most of those that fought for me are long gone, but I still have a number of shinobi I can rely on," she slid a letter across the table toward him, as he opened it he gestured for her to continue, " the letter was supposedly written by Hozuki Mangetsu."

The letter was very brief, the handwriting was very carefully crafted, almost like it was printed. Not quite, but enough that whoever wrote it was sure not to give themselves away.

It was just a short list of names, five notable shinobi from Konoha and a very cryptic postscript that had faded away in the rain before it had gotten to his desk.

It read:

 _Shimura Danzo – Highest Priority_

 _Utatane Koharu – Low Priority_

 _Nara Shikaku – High Priority_

 _Homura Mitokado – Low Priority_

 _Sarutobi Asuma – Low Priority_

 _PS._

 _The tides will turn once the blue shadows lay beneath the waves._

" This is an assassination list, that's clear enough but what does this have to do with you and do you know what the end was supposed to say?"

" I don't know, and I believe he's only passing along information that might be important. He's ANBU, after all.

The way it is, it's not much good to me, but going into the summit you need to pass this along to Uchiha." With that, she stood up, it almost looked like she was getting ready to leave.

"You're not going to stay? We still have things to discuss." Nagato said, not confused but only slightly perplexed. She had just come in, then didn't seem the time to leave.

"I think I'm going to take you up on that offer to reschedule, that list by itself doesn't mean much, but if Hoshigaki is getting ready to stab Shimura Danzo then there are going to be more people caught in this than just those on the list. I need to tell as many of them as I can what's going to happen."

"And what should I tell Yagura?"

"Ao will speak for me while I'm gone," she said turning her head to her bodyguard, seemingly smirking, "won't you Ao?"

Nagato didn't get a good look at Mei but Ao seemed to have some words to say, but whatever look she gave him made him swallow his tongue and once she turned back toward the desk she was back to wearing that same old cheshire grin she neglected to put on when she came in.

"Nagato-kun, it looks like we both have letters to write, leave me to mine and I'll leave you to yours," she said and as she walked through the door Ao had cracked for her, she finished with a smile and closed eyes, "I'll see you some other time."

"I hope so."

-ooo-

The following meetings were far less eventful. Yagura and Ao obviously had some history that neither wished to discuss and were more than happy to cover as much ground in the smallest amount of time. Ao seemed especially eager to get the meeting over with, but he made his stances known and promised to relay all they had spoken of back to Mei, who hopefully would be a better match with Yagura at the negotiating table. To their credit however, they did breeze through the subjects of concern with ease. The meeting was more rushed than cut short.

It wasn't good for that sort of tension to be there once they were off arguing with the village heads, but if they could keep it at least as professional as they did then, it wasn't really Nagato's concern. And with the extra time he managed to make a dent in the mountain of paper work he'd neglected to do in favor of conducting these meetings.

Tsunade insisted on having her assistant wait by the door with a pig in her arms no less. For what reason, Nagato hadn't the slightest idea but from the general look on all of them: the bags under the dark-haired woman's eyes (he thought her name was Shizure or something like that), the pig's restlessness (Tom-Tom?), and the absolutely miserable look on Tsunade's face with smeared make up and all. They all looked like fought a war just to wake up and get to the office on time.

The Slug-Princess tried to carry on the meeting until he let it slip that she could just come in another time. At the word she immediately stood up, knocking over the chair in the process, snatched the pig from the poor woman's hands and stormed off back to her suite, no doubt to sleep off whatever she had drunk the last night.

Given the look she gave the poor girl, it was probably the assistant who brought her on time in the first place.

-ooo-

By that point in the day the rain outside had found it's usual afternoon rhythm, it was especially sonorous during that time of day for reasons no one could really figure out, and it was that time that marked Nagato's informal break.

While he was bound to his bed, he'd made a habit out of delegating various duties to Konan aside from her usual duties as his second. It wasn't very fair and now that he didn't have any excuses he made sure to pick up more than his fair share of the work. It kept him busy and gave Konan some much needed rest, but now the only time of day he had to really think was when it was raining so hard he couldn't concentrate on anything else.

It was funny how things worked out that way.

By the time Kakashi and Itachi were supposed to come in, Nagato had rescheduled all of his meetings for the next day. Hopefully they'd go smoother than today, but for now all he had time to do was relay that message back to Itachi and Kakashi and let them sort out what to do.

Who died of Konoha's elite didn't matter much now, plans don't often go according to plan especially when shinobi are involved. Just because the Mizukage thinks he's getting the jump on Danzo didn't mean he was. For all he knew he'd be the one dead beneath the waves.

What the enemy did to themselves didn't matter much to Nagato at the moment, keeping his allies together was the primary concern. Everything else was noise, white noise, panging off the rooftops.

Distracting, but not a concern.

* * *

 **Afterword:**

I'm not going to apologize for taking a long time, it's that time of the year where everyone's off at college doing who knows what. Just know when I say I'm going to do something I'm going to do it. It might take a long ass time, but it will be done. And now that I finally got this next chapter up, you guys can reset your timers.


	4. Konan

**Continuity Disclaimer:** The Original Daybreak was written with canon pre-chapter 599 in mind. With that in mind, a number of plot decisions taking place in the previous installments of Daybreak (Written by DigitalTart) were made without that latter part of the manga so any contradictions to established canon are likely due to preexisting plot holes that I'm attempting to write around. This isn't going to be a large problem, but you've been warned.

You know what happens after 599.

This fic is as canon-compliant as I can possibly make it while staying in line with the original Daybreak.

* * *

 **.oO Konan Oo.**

* * *

The rescheduled meetings were going well that morning from what Nagato had told her, Tsunade was sober, Sasori was agreeable, the only one's left were Itachi and Kakashi. It was a shame she couldn't be there for the others, but there were more important things to do.

She and Nagato had been expecting a message for some time now. The summit was a go but who would be hosting was, till now, up for grabs. Ame wasn't going to let that many foreign shinobi into their walls and neither were any of the other nations, save for Kusagakure, the Village Hidden in the Grass. Being the natural choice, it was agreed upon that their Daimyo would play host for the meeting, all that was left was to get the invitations and those were supposed to be coming on foot. Kusa's envoy was scheduled to arrive this morning.

Konan and the messenger rendezvoused at an inn on the banks of River Kannabi. An inconspicuous little place in the middle of nowhere, it was of Konan's choosing. It was old, the innkeeper was a familiar face, once upon a time this spot had been something of a safehouse for her and the old Akatsuki, so she knew the area like the back of her hand.

The marshes stretched out for miles in any direction from the house. The place was built on stilts overlooking the river. It wasn't much now, but in a few weeks it'd be a raging torrent.

There wasn't much space on the inside, just a few rooms upstairs, the innkeeper's quarters and a dining room where the guests could partake in some of the best roasted _namazu_ you could find in the middle of a forgotten patch of swamp. The matron only made it during certain times of the year because the best fish get scared away when the rainy season really gets going. That fish was probably the only reason why she decided to actually come inside the inn. Were it not for the hostess' cooking she'd have just sent a clone inside, but instead she elected to go in-person. On its face it probably looked like a gesture of good faith, but in case something happened she'd rather make a mistake for a better reason than trust.

She came ahead of the envoy, just to be sure that the location was secure and while she was waiting she put in her request to the old women. It wasn't till around noon she and the Kusa-nin actually made their acquaintance.

Their talk was brief, the Kusa-nin had no intentions on making friendly, something which Konan duly appreciated. She likewise sustained a cautious distance, ready for anything. The messenger didn't seem all that comfortable either, he was formal to a fault and only took a seat once the innkeeper brought over her food. Obviously, he wasn't going to stay in the country for any longer than he had to, which was just to her liking. The less prying eyes from the outside, the better. It's dangerous having nosy neighbors.

He made a point to stress the protocol for their arrival. Kusagakure would take responsibility for the summit's security, their best Jonin had been held back just for the occasion. The only catch was that the village wouldn't be hosting the summit, their Daimyo would; at his summer home no less. It certainly wasn't being used this time of year so at least something good would come from all that opulence.

Going into the home of a Daimyo carried a different sort of danger than what she'd been expecting. The village heads weren't going to be the only ones with their eyes on the summit. The aristocrats were paying attention and that could be **very** bad. Going into this Nagato and herself were expecting them to just rubber stamp whatever resolution came out of the meeting, but now they might have some issues. Nagato won't like it when he hears.

The Kusa-nin seemed to relax into his rehearsed speech, he continued the briefing, "When you cross the border upriver you'll see a number of fortifications as you approach Kannabi Bridge, once you're close fire this flare." He placed a closed case on the table before carefully opening it for her to see. It was just plain metal, nothing distinct about it except for the Kusagakure symbol on its side.

"The Daimyo's daughter will be your guide to your final destination. The location is very remote, no one outside of the Daimyo's personal detail knows where it is. This is a sincere gesture of trust, please respect it."

"And when is the date?" Konan replied without any particular inflection.

"The meeting will proceed once all delegates have arrived, the Shinegori-sama instisted. The journey will take 3 days on foot, we will be expecting you within the week." He finished with a slight bow before heading to the door.

Konan had no further questions, It was finally set in stone, now all that was left was to get back to Ame, but not before finishing her meal. It was wartime after all, Oba-chan probably needed all the business she could get. This place hadn't seen a visitor in ages it seemed.

It wasn't the most eventful evening but it was refreshing, if for nothing else than a good meal. She hadn't had one of those since the Fall.

To finally have things go according to plan for once without it involving some assassination contract or drug deal was nothing short of a miracle at this point in her life. The war wasn't doing much good for anyone but at least it could bring their Akatsuki back to its roots. Making the peace.

It was muddy fields and soaked green grass for miles around, but at least it was calm.

-ooo-

Though she had long since gotten used to Nagato stopping the rain every Sunday, the look of the city without the mist and the clouds from the air was still breathtaking. It had to be since she so rarely got the chance to take it all in.

Throughout the rest of the week it rained and on days like this her duties seldom allowed her the time to go past the skyline. Even if she didn't set foot in the city she always had a fairly grounded view of things; high up though she was, the towers were always taller, she was still confined, and the view lacked something to be desired. With its rain-pelted towers ringing in the downpour, the worn-down walkways and weather-beaten concrete the village was every bit as dour as it had always been. The people didn't even look up to see her flying over the head.

But for once, she couldn't see the people.

The rusted iron that encrusted the buildings tinted the city in a pale scarlet and even if the village wasn't in its prime it was still beautiful in its own tragic way.

It'd be a shame if no one got to look at it like this, from the heavens downward, and aside from her and Nagato, no one could or would get this high. And were it not for days like this they wouldn't get a chance to.

It was sad though, that the flight back to Ame was so short. Once the village was in sight it'd only be a minute or two before it was back to the usual, to the decay and the struggle and the work. It was only fitting that all their sacrifice up till now came in the form of bright days like this, it's what Yahiko always promised them back when they were kids, if only he got to enjoy it too. Even if just for a few minutes.

-ooo-

Coming down toward the city it wasn't hard to see where they all their had gone. For the past two weeks Nagato had been working with Sensei and Sasori to prepare the city's defenses and by appearances they hadn't left a single thing to chance. The outer walls were a maze of seals and runes, traps full of poison and blades, the sewers and the lake surrounding the village had special attention paid to them.

It was Sensei's idea to have a chakra disrupting barrier set on the water. It was the first place he'd try to get into the village through, he said, he was surprised at how lax the security was on that front. She and Nagato never considered it that much of any issue but since both of them would be gone… it made all the sense in the world.

Any shinobi that got past that lake was someone they could usually deal with, no intruder got out alive in all these years they'd been here. If not present circumstances were different it may have seemed a little too paranoid even for them. Any barrier on the water wouldn't just affect invaders, merchants and farmers used to come through that lake to do business before all this happened.

She supposed a pair of fresh eyes saw things differently and she was more than willing to go along. Especially with recently added incentive.

Sensei and Nagato had started the bulk of the preparations once they got back from the Land of Whirlpools. From how they described it, Uzushio was more than just a wreck it was _gone._ Sensei hadn't been to there in 20 years and she and Nagato had never paid it much mind. No reason to, that country hadn't had a worthwhile contract that she could recall, and it wasn't hard to see why from what she heard.

When the two of them got back Jiraiya was in a somber mood, Nagato in turn was…agitated for lack of a better word. She hadn't seen him like that in years, not since he dealt with Hanzo and the Storm Daimyo.

Situations like these brought out that iron determination that he had when they were younger. He was ready to act. That man hadn't been frightened of anything since they were children but whatever he saw in the south took whatever patience he had left. No wonder they'd been so pro-active. Nagato and Sensei were locked away with that scroll for days, whatever they scrounged up from that forsaken place was the only thing separating Ame from being ruins, he said as much when he finally emerged from his seclusion.

Jiraiya-sensei couldn't even keep up after the first day and she couldn't blame him. Nagato hadn't eaten or slept that entire time from what she could tell and that hadn't changed much in this last week.

Normally she'd tell him to pace himself. Working this much could be counterproductive but now wasn't a time for taking their time. She only hoped that they got a chance to rest before anything truly _unfortunate_ happens, such things tended to happen to them.

He'll need his strength then.

Though, looking out onto their city it wasn't hard to see why he was pushing himself so hard. She could see it from the tower windows as she was walking toward his office, the towers no matter how old or ill-maintained were at least standing. Seeing this village abandoned, its people dead or scattered to the wind, this very tower they were working in sunk beneath the lake or blasted into rubble had to have been on his mind…. It was certainly on hers.

All they had left was to do what little they could in the meantime, they were set to leave in three days from her estimates. Everyone was well rested and briefed except for Itachi and Kakashi. But from the sounds coming from Nagato's office that last part was already well underway. All their work was just about done, now the village had to be ready. The date for the summit had finally been set.

* * *

 **Afterword:**

The next chapter should be up within the week, after that things should start kicking into gear. And by kicking into gear I mean the plot will finally move forward. I've awaited this day for so very long.

Also, please review the story, feedback is the only way I can improve my storytelling. I feel like this chapter was a nice look into Konan's mind without giving away too much, if it's terrible the only way I'll ever know is if someone actually tells me any different. The alternative is mediocre writing and nobody wants that, not with these wait times at least.


	5. Itachi

**Continuity Disclaimer:** The Original Daybreak was written with canon pre-chapter 599 in mind. With that in mind, a number of plot decisions taking place in the previous installments of Daybreak (Written by DigitalTart) were made without that latter part of the manga so any contradictions to established canon are likely due to preexisting plot holes that I'm attempting to write around. This isn't going to be a large problem, but you've been warned.

You know what happens after 599.

This fic is as canon-compliant as I can possibly make it while staying in line with the original Daybreak.

* * *

 **.oO Itachi Oo.**

* * *

Itachi took one more look at the letter with its faded ink and tattered edges, it looked like it went through hell just to get there. It was a flimsy bit of stationery with more smudges and creases than actual print. And for a piece of intel as important as it supposedly was, there wasn't that much to it.

A cryptic message.

A short list of obvious targets.

 _This is worthless._

It didn't really shock him all that much, that Danzo or any of the others were targets for assassination. It seemed, at this point, a matter of course.

It didn't matter how many dead men that he or Orochimaru raised up, they were a sinking ship as soon as someone figured how to stop the Edo Tensei or seal up any Shinobi they brought back, and anybody attached will be wanting an out in due time.

The only thing that bothered him about the letter was where the information came from in the first place. Some raggedy piece of paper just so happens to find its way here?

Of all places.

Stranger still, with all the upcoming absences Akatsuki would have here in Amegakure, it looked like someone somewhere wanted them to overplay their hand. It wasn't working. The only reason Nagato would have brought it up is if he thought it was too good to be true.

"Why would Hozuki Mangetsu would send this to Terumi-san?" Itachi said before taking another glance at the letter and passing it over to Kakashi. Konan had just passed through the door with her and Nagato's coffee. She must have heard the question because Nagato gestured in her direction.

"He's one of Mei's older contacts in Kiri. The Hozuki were sympathetic during the civil war." She added while seating herself to Nagato's left, opposite Kakashi and himself. "She's the natural choice if he was trying to pass this along to us, Itachi-san." She finished simply.

"You can't just assume some soggy letter belongs to you." Kakashi responded lazily, the note still holding most of his attention. He was only half-serious and Konan took it the same. "And assuming it did, who knows who sent it." He added putting it down off to the side.

Nagato let out a short sigh, "We don't actually know who wrote the letter, or who's supposed to be reading it. Mangetsu was Mei's best guess, what he thinks we'll do with this information however is anybody's guess."

"But you're not convinced it's him?" Itachi enquired.

"Of course not, but in any case, it doesn't matter much." Nagato said blinking heavy eyes.

"Who else could it be?" Konan asked taking a sip from her cup. She didn't look any surer than they were, just questioning.

"Couldn't tell you. What matters most is if it's true. How we go forward doesn't really change if the plot fails… but if Danzo dies then... there will be _complications._ That looks plausible enough to me." Nagato answered nonchalantly, his demeanor was less easy than weary, but the tone was the same. He looked more than ready to call the meeting then and there.

Not liking that wording, Itachi followed up, "Complications? The sooner this war is over the better." Itachi said evenly, awaiting an explanation.

"Lasting peace, Itachi-san, is a process. Danzo is our problem right now, but in the future the Tsuchikage is just as much of a threat." Nagato said, his eyes meeting Itachi's across the table. " _All the Kage are_."

"If you think going back to Konoha after Danzo is assassinated is going to change the fact that your village just made war with half a dozen nations then you're mistaken. Dealing with Shimura Danzo simplifies things and provides for an easy scapegoat. He's unpopular, he's dangerous, and illegitimate once your survival goes public. So long as he's the aggressor we can deal with the other nations, but if you step back in too early or the other Kage want to continue to war…" He took a breath, Kakashi looked like he had something to say, Itachi kept listening so Nagato resumed,

"If anything were to happen it'd be best if it were after the summit, after everyone's agreed to our terms. After that, the Tsuchikage and the Raikage will have their hands tied. For that to happen Danzo _must live_."

"That's assuming they respect the agreement." Kakashi countered.

"That's assuming they agree to anything." Itachi added, "If Danzo dies we can make peace and be done with this."

"As soon as that vulture stops breathing our leverage evaporates. Itachi-san" Konan interjected.

Continuing off her point, "The coalition that we have now isn't special, the moment they no longer have to fear Konoha or need our protection it will unravel. It's happened before.

We're the only ones who have beat Konoha so far, the **only ones** , and we're also the only ones that don't want something from it. Every nation has some bone to pick, something extra they want once this war is over.

There won't be any peacemakers when the dead are back in the ground because once they are, Konoha becomes just another power player that bit off more than it can chew and that means more war."

Just as Itachi started to respond Kakashi finished his point, "You think letting Danzo stay on the offensive will keep the alliance together." He wasn't being corrected, "The more desperate they are the more concessions we can get at the summit, and with that we'll have the right."

Much too tired to smile at his plan, Nagato merely nodded before looking at Itachi for what he assumed would be an objection. He didn't get one.

"Still, if he does die we'll be forced to change our strategy going into the negotiations. You have to admit that."

Taking a second to mull it over, it was definitely a possibility, even if a small one. In response Nagato turned his head towards Konan.

"You met with the envoy from the Plains Country today, right?"

"Yes, they'll be hosting the summit within the week." She responded cooly.

"That gives us, what? Five or six days before the delegates come in?" She nodded slightly, she already knew where he was going with this.

"News isn't going to be easy to come by in any case when we're shut out from the rest of the world. That goes for news behind enemy lines especially. If that's our timetable, then there's no way for Danzo to die fast enough to derail the summit." Nagato finished

"But as for everything else?" Kakashi asked

"We'll cross that road when we come to it, if it does we'll just have to make do." He replied calmly. "I don't expect any of you to just stand around if there's a chance for you to come back home. **But** , I trust you two will hold off on doing anything rash until such a time comes. If I didn't you wouldn't be wearing those robes."

Itachi let out a sigh. "So we're finished then?" He asked, exhausted from the evening. They'd been at this for hours, even if they're all on the same page it's still a tedious process, the briefing.

"One last thing, Konan would you please?"

Before they could ask what it was, she promptly produced two stacks of documents, a copy for himself and Kakashi.

"It's a multilateral agreement for all the nations. A union to keep the peace, settle disputes, and a plan for the peace after the war. We've already sent copies off to the nations on our side. The Kazekage's daughter has a copy as well. If enough agree then maybe Konoha won't be penalized too severely." She informed them, adding in that bit toward the end to soothe their sympathies.

"When Akatsuki was re-incepted, our plan was to use the tailed beasts to destroy the shinobi nations completely." Nagato began. As Kakashi and Itachi leaned back in their chairs. Konan looked almost ashamed, and Nagato's tone betrayed his own issues with his former plan.

"Root and stem, no amount of cruelty was off the table so long as we destroyed the system that sends us to war every generation. _Pain_ is the only thing all the nations of our world understand, and we were willing, for a time, to speak in that common language.

That was a different time, and now I'm not so sure that razing everything to the ground will lead to the world we want to live in. Peace doesn't have to come through suffering if we can help, so please understand that I want this war to end as quickly as you do. But if we're to truly be done with the old song and dance we're going to need to approach the peace with a tactful mind; it'll make the peace all the more likely to stick once this mess is over." Nagato said, finally taking a breath and allowing his words to temper in the silence.

"Do you think anyone will get on board with this... _leniency_?" Itachi enquired, apprehensive that anything be that easy.

"Not many, not by choice at least." Nagato replied blankly

"Then how does this plan do us any good?" Itachi said, looking into those alien eyes peering from across the room.

"If they don't go along willingly we'll just have to make them." Nagato said, he sounded more confident than any man this fatigued should have. "But we'll need more than just myself for that to happen, so please… leave Konoha till after this mess is sorted out. I'll help in any way I can afterwards."

"Anything further?"

"You're both free to go."

"Then we will see you when we hit the road."

 _Sigh_ "I hope so."

Uchiha Itachi and Hatake Kakashi then left the two Ame-nin to themselves, they all had their fill of politicking for the day.

-ooo-

Once those two were gone it was easier for the two of them to talk, putting on a united face was second nature, but they still had their differences.

"You can't believe _no one_ will back us if we tried this without a war going on." Konan said into the open air, not even looking at Nagato.

Nagato seemed to sullen at her doubt, but she was right to a point, "Not no one, Konan. Just… not enough."

"They see how this war's playing out, you can't believe they won't jump at a chance to keep the peace after they've seen all this."

"In some places, sure. But overall, I remain unconvinced. I agree that it wouldn't be entirely fruitless, but if we can't bring the Kages in then it won't be worth much."

"Nagato…."

Nagato extended his hands toward the letter laying in front of where Kakashi had just been, it flew to him like a magnet. "To be honest, I hope we won't have to try in peace time, it's easier to come together when everyone's forced to. This war isn't a blessing, Konan. But it's useful." he said ripping it up. "Danzo won't be dying for a long time and arguing over what to do if he does is a waste of time."

With that the tired man got up from his seat, he hadn't left it all day. He was looking forward to some rest. Konan followed after him towards the door, both of them taking their time.

"Nagato-kun, you value my opinion." She said, not questioning.

"Yes." He replied without a fight. "I do."

"Then you'll listen when I tell you you're wrong, won't you?"

"You're right." He said too drained to look at her. "I'll _listen_."

 _And nothing more._

-ooo-

Most of the newer members of their little organization had taken up residence in or around Hotel Yasuragi, it was relatively close to Pain's Tower and their facilities were more expansive than he had expected. The room he had, some thirteen storeys high above the street, was bigger than his apartment back in Konoha….but it wasn't even close to their family home. _It was probably empty now, full of ghosts and terrible memories._

It was nice to get back to some peace and solitude, it helped him think, it was his comfort as far as he could stretch the word. And high above the bustle of the city below on a rainless Sunday, it was quiet too.

Itachi considered his bathroom for a moment, a nice shower was all he had left to look forward to by now, the Sun had been down for hours, there was nothing left but to…..

 _Knock Knock_

Getting up slowly and lightly, Itachi kept his attention on the door. He had one hand on his kunai by the time he got to the door. It was probably just Naruto or Sakura. Maybe even if Kakashi if he was feeling particularly lonely some nights.

"Who is it?" Itachi said as he opened the door. "Oh. This is a surprise."

"I try not to make midnight visits a habit, Itachi-san." She said with slight smile and closed eyes. "It gives some people ideas."

"I take it this is business related."

"Not this time, not officially at least." She said, pulling back on the casuality only so slightly. "May I come in?"

"Please do." He said opening the door wider for her to come in. "Sorry that I don't have any refreshments, I don't get much company nowadays."

"No, it's fine. It'll only be a minute. I just wanted to be indoors once the rain starts, Nagato should be asleep but if he's not I'd rather not have him wondering why I'm here."

"So, what's this about?"

"Sasuke." She replied quickly, watching Itachi fight any outward display of emotion.

He wasn't doing it well, he took a just smidge too long to answer. "What about him?"

Beginning with a deep breath, Konan replied "We have a lead."

* * *

 **Afterword:**

I said within the week and I meant it. I'm glad to be getting back into the groove of things.

Thanks for reading.


	6. Sakura

**FYI** : Fics don't die, but rise again with better quality. (I hope)

 **Continuity Disclaimer:** The Original Daybreak was written with canon pre-chapter 599 in mind. With that in mind, a number of plot decision taking place in previous installments of Daybreak (Written by DigitalTart) were made without that latter part of the manga so any contradictions to established canon are likely due to preexisting plot holes that I'm attempting to write around. This isn't going to be a large problem, but you've been warned.

You know what happens after 599.

This fic is as canon-compliant as I can possibly make it while staying in line with the original Daybreak.

* * *

 **.oO Sakura Oo.**

* * *

The knock of the door wasn't much of a surprise **-**

 _Knock Knock_

Since they'd gotten back from Wind Country there hadn't been any time to rest, no leisure. At this point she basically lived in the field hospital right by the barracks; that she had the rare pleasure to sleep in her own room for once should have been cause for celebration, but Sakura just wanted the extra five minutes.

"Huh?"

 _Knock Knock!_

"Let me sleep Shizune…"

 _KNOCK KNOCK!_

 _"F_ _ine_ , let me get dressed." She yelled through her pillow, trying not to sulk. Usually Shizune had the good grace to leave her be when the sun hadn't rose yet.

As much as she and Tsunade appreciated an extra hand around the tent Sakura wasn't a medic-nin, not a field level one at least. It couldn't be that urgent, she wouldn't just knock. Could be she wanted her to start make a dead fish flop she could just slip it under the door, it was twilight for goodness sake.

"Sakura-chan! Come on! The rain's freezing out here!" Called out the knocker with a voice a bit too scratchy for her sempai. _That's a relief_. Making her way to the door, she made sure to check the peephole, last Sakura heard from Naruto was after they all went out to celebrate their mission well done. A couple weeks, it seemed like.

"Hey, long time no see." She drowsed between the crack in the doorway, "It's a bit early don't you… _yawn_ …think?" The boy in the walkway looked half frostbitten and the cat stuffed into his collar didn't look any better. "Wha's up?" she asked knowing the answer, he was miserable. He'd freeze solid if she left him out there any longer.

The glint in his eye only corroborated her intuition.

"Come in already, before you lose a hand" She griped out, standing clear of the cold flooding through the suite doorway.

"T-thank y-you, Sakura-chan. You're the best."

 _Uh huh, suuure I am._

 _"_ Just take your shoes off by the door _._ "

He immediately acquainted himself with the heater by the window, too occupied to tell her what was so urgent that he had to bang on her door at four in the morning. For the moment, this suited her just fine. The stress and mayhem could wait till she got some hot water on her face. Life moved too fast lately anyways.

-ooo-

A few months ago if someone told her she'd be a hundred miles away in another village eating rationed rice by night and tending to soldiers by day they'd end up in a genjutsu with a referral for the psych ward.

Being thrown for a loop was an understatement, looking out the window here was surreal on its own. This city was as foreign as foreign gt and the kunoichi looking back in the mirror, with the big forehead and the pink bangs and the scratched out hitai-ate was foreign too. A doppelganger from some strange world where almost everything Haruno Sakura took for granted went up in smoke.

At least she still had the same toothbrush. Everything else belonged to someone else or had a mind of its own.

 _Remind me to thank 'God' for the hot water, and the suite, and the village too, it's all his, right?_

-ooo-

"Yo! Sakura you done yet?" The thawing boy called out. She turned off the sink and stepped back into reality. The cat had been scratching the door for a while now. "Hyokuro's getting antsy is all, I'd rather stay in to be honest."

"Same here," she replied sullenly, "Where are we supposed to go?"

"Bro's place probably, the cat wouldn't cough up any details either."

"Wait, you don't know what's going on? Why'd you come here then?"

" _Pssh_. Like anyone tells me anything. I'm here cause the cat led me over through the rain, in the **dark**. I couldn't see a thing until we got back to the village."

"Well I guess we'll have to ask Sensei for the answers then."

"Mhmm…"

"Alright, let me get my coat, I'm not freezing to death like you did." The cat didn't look too pleased to hear that. It's not like she could just cuddle up with someone to get warm any time she wanted, the cat was spoiled. However, Naruto wasn't in a mood to wait either. All of a sudden, he was pulling her by the hand before she even got a chance to grab her shoes.

"Hey, I'm not even dressed, wait a secooond!" he opened the door as she broke off to get her standard boots.

" _Shit_!" The air cut like a scythe. "It's freezing out there! Naruto, I'm in my PJs. I just need a minute." she eeked out whilst turning away from the door. "Why're you rushing now, I thought you didn't want to go out anyway."

He looked serious for some reason.

"It just hit me that if Itachi wants us it's probably something really important."

"It's probably just about the summit," the kunoichi didn't look too concerned, " Tsunade's been griping about it for days. He probably just wants to see us before he goes."

He shook his head, "No, it's gotta be Sasuke news, and if he's bringing us together like this it's either really good or really bad. I want to clear this up before the Sun's up. It'll bug me if I don't." He just locked eyes with her for a second before heading out.

"Come on!" he called out from around the corner.

 _Alright! Jeez, you don't have to tell me twice_

-ooo-

Itachi's floor was only half a dozen iced-over flights of steps up from her own. It wasn't all that far, but you couldn't tell with the wind and ice coming down the way it was. The doors to their suites opened right into the open air and from the higher floors they got a full view of Amegakure. The hanging lanterns and street lights that usually lit up the skyline were all out. The rusted towers were frosted over and the sleet and wind were practically deafening.

Appropriate to the weather, she and Naruto bolted upstairs as best they could without slipping. They were about to head up the last set of steps when Hyokuro leapt out of Naruto's shirt onto the wrong floor.

"Where're you going? B-bro's room is up a floor." Naruto practically groaned, impatient to get somewhere warm.

Before answering the boy, the tomcat faded into the black. The hallway, no, the entire floor was near totally lightless now that they were looking directly at it. With just the ambient glow of the city highlighting the outline of what should have been the suite numbers by the many doors, Sakura could barely make out where Hyokuro had taken to idling.

It felt wrong just to look in his direction. The whole walkway had that feeling about it, like she wasn't supposed to be paying it that much attention.

 _Wait a minute_

"Naruto, can you see Hyokuro?"

"N-not really," he huffed out, "The lights are usually on out here. Spooky."

"I've got an idea, I think this is actually Itachi-sensei's floor."

Naruto's eyes went narrow squinting into the dark, "So it's a genjutsu."

She was surprised at how quick he'd gotten on the uptake.

"Yeah, a couple actually." She added taking a step into the missing floor of Hotel Yasuragi.

They ambled through the darkness for a lot longer than they should have before they found a conspicuous looking patch of wall near the walkway's end.

"Here, I think." _Now all there is to do is just…_

 _Release!_

There was a sizzling sound as a tag peeled off the wall and a click signaled a door opening out of what used to be the suspicious looking wall.

"I didn't know you could do something like that. I thought genjutsu was all headgames and throwing up." Naruto said looking at the burn marks on the suite door.

"No, sometimes they're headaches too."

-ooo-

"Pinky, long time no see." someone said peering through the crack of the door, the nickname wasn't entirely unwelcome. It was endearing by this point, but even more endearing was the heat radiating into the damp, frigid walkway. Naruto damn near trampled her just to get in, and of course the cat reappeared on the ground near Kakashi before skittering off to wherever. No doubt, there was a heater somewhere that needed cozying up to.

As they warmed their hands and shivered the cold away, Kakashi restored whatever seal he had set up outside. Sakura had never seen a genjutsu stored on a seal like that, it seems obvious now that she'd seen Kakashi set it up like chore, but it was an oddly novel way to do things.

 _Note to self, copy the Copy Ninja_

But, _why_ they needed a seal like that was more her question. Amegakure wasn't home but it wasn't like anyone was trying to kill them _inside_ the village, not any that she noticed at least.

"Kakashi-sensei, what's up with the seals and junk." Naruto blurted out, tactless.

"Being a bit nosy don't you think?" the masked man teased, trying to deflect the question.

"We kind of have a right to know, seeing how you dragged us over." Sakura said, backing him up, any side-eye at his bluntness notwithstanding.

"That was the cat's job, if I recall."

They weren't budging, it seemed.

"Oh well, I tried."He sighed ushering them to follow him deeper into the suite.

"Origami-san is the reason, she's in the study with Itachi." He said gesturing to the paper screens down the hall. "In case someone comes looking for her, it's easier for everyone if everyone avoids our little hideout for the next few hours. What you just broke was a placeholder in case anyone was stumbling about while you two dragged your feet. This entire building is now under a genjutsu. No one's waking up until I break the jutsu.

Once they were out of earshot of Itachi's study, he perked up again

"You want some coffee? I made coffee."

* * *

 **Afterword:**

This chapter took so long because I went over the same chapter over and over and over so I could get it right. Meticulousness is a virtue only in small doses, it seems like.


End file.
